Encore.org has announced 24 semi-finalists for the 2018 Gen2Gen Encore Prize, a national competition that will award $100,000 to five innovators with new ideas for tapping the talent of adults 50+ to help young people. Half are people of color; they represent multiple generations: 25% millenials, 33% baby boomers, 38% Gen X.
The semi-finalists (listed below) are preparing for the September public voting period. From September 12 to 25, people will cast votes, up to once per day, for their favorite venture. The venture with the most votes will automatically become one of five finalists. Encore.org will name the other four finalists. A distinguished panel of judges will select one $50,000 winner from among the five finalists. The other four finalists will win $10,000 each. The audience at a live pitch event on Nov. 14 in Los Angeles will select one of the five finalists for an additional $10,000 prize.
Meet this talented group (* indicates they’re partners in the Generation to Generation campaign):
4 Real Math (North Chicago, IL) – interactive approach using older adult tutors to help underserved middle school students learn math.
92nd Street Y (New York, NY) – modeled on Ben Franklin’s club for mutual improvement, the Ben Franklin Circles bring youth and older adults together to discuss what they want to achieve in their own lives and communities.
AI Intergenerational School (no website, Palo Alto, CA) – providing older and younger people Artificial Intelligence job training and mentoring.
AlaQuest Collaborative for Education (Pelham, AL)* – adults 50+ teach youth critical social and emotional skills that will support academic achievement and improve school culture.
City of Topeka (Topeka, KS) – connecting high school seniors with 50+ advisers to assist youth with ambitions beyond high school.
Cornelius Public Library (Cornelius, OR) – creating intergenerational programs to help youth succeed in school and be better prepared for college and career.
Cricket Media (McLean, VA)* – matching elementary school youth 1:1 with eMentors to read stories and exchange letters.
Family Promise (Summit, NJ)* – storytelling project where older adults are trained to interview youth experiencing homelessness to share what “home” means to them.
Fostering Hope (Colorado Springs, CO) – older adult volunteers mentor youth “aging out” of foster care to explore their interests, learn life skills and achieve self-reliance.
Good Sun (Grass Valley, CA) – empowering elders to provide readiness training for solar jobs, workforce development and hands-on experience so that young people can get good jobs and go to college.
Grades of Green (New York, NY) – older adults mentoring students to lead a Water Campaign to instill water conservation values and behaviors in their families and communities.
GrandGarden (Los Angeles, CA) – older adults teach gardening to elementary-aged children to reduce rates of obesity and help kids learn about healthy eating.
Indigenouz PlaceMakerz (Seattle, WA) – connecting elders and youth through an arts apprenticeship program to preserve native culture.
Legacy (Chattanooga, TN) – digital platform that takes the cumbersome, time-consuming steps out of bringing youth in schools and seniors in senior facilities together.
NAACP – Our Youth Scientists (Indianapolis, IN) – utilizing older adults to help youth advocate for environmental justice.
Nuns and Nones (Washington, D.C.) – collaboration between nuns and millenials (who claim no religion) to reimagine the physical and spiritual infrastructure for community living & justice work in the 21st century.
Read To Me International (Honolulu, HI) – older adult volunteers helping incarcerated mothers publish their stories as gift to their children.
SaraSolo Productions (Sarasota, FL) – connecting youth and encore talent through powerful storytelling and performance to heal and enrich their lives.
Saturday Academy (Portland, OR) – utilizing community professionals as instructors to teach youth enrichment classes in hard-to-reach rural areas.
Seeing-i2i (Gainesville, VA)* – older adults mentor lonely and socially isolated underprivileged youth through online basketball video gaming.
Starting Right, Now (Tampa, FL) – connecting older adults as mentors to homeless youth to end the generational cycle of youth homelessness.
Service Board (Seattle, WA) – hosting a series of free community dinner clubs that will connect youth with elders around the power of food and stories.
Ujama Incorporated (Cupertino, CA) – makes parenting more joyful by building trusted pools of adults who support each other by sharing tasks like transporting kids, hosting playdates, and finding enriching activities.
World Rhythm Academy (Brooklyn, NY) – using live music and art events to connect youth with caring elders.
For more information, contact Encore Prize Director Janet Oh here.
Published: August 22, 2018